In two major instances I’ve found myself asking this question;-
- When I started following my true purpose &,
- On a personal level.
See, we live life erring on the side of caution (nothing wrong with it by the way) thereby limiting ourselves and what we could potentially achieve by letting go.
Few years ago, I used to live a very reserved life. No adventure, no risks and trying out different things. This made me miss out on great opportunities because I never wanted to break free from my comfort zone. They say ignorance is bliss, back then I couldn’t agree more. If an opportunity meant me breaking my shields then definitely it wasn’t good for me. So I kept telling myself. If it meant me taking the first step, making the first move then it was considered too risky to dare. I missed out on what could have potentially turned into the best thing in my life; career advancement, personal growth, relationships etc.
At some point, we’ve all been here. The question we normally find ourselves fighting with is usually, ‘what if it doesn’t work out?’ We all fear rejection, both from opportunities and people. It is much safer to hold up our guards as high as we can than to experience the painful grip of being turned down. But, with this mentality you achieve little or nothing in the grand scheme of life. I came to learn this a little bit later.
There’s no guarantee that you will be accepted in whatever form. But does that mean you stop trying and putting yourself out there? No sir!
In my journey to becoming one of the best graphics designers, I have learned to harness the rejection I get from potential clients to bettering my services and myself as a person. I have learned to use the NOs I get to fuel my passion and drive.
As a person I could say I become better every day by putting myself on the path of rejection, I mean what’s the worst that can happen when they say NO? Does it mean I’m not good enough? If yes, what can I do about it? Can I improve myself on those areas? Does the NO break me? Can I live with the NO?
To better answer all these lingering questions, you have to put yourself on a path where you’re chasing something bigger than yourself. Your Purpose! Excellence! Basically, you have to be a person with specific goals. Only then can you affirmatively answer the above with a resounding why not?
Avoiding rejection is like postponing the inevitable. If you were going to be rejected, it’s going to happen whether now or years to come. The beauty of embracing the ‘now’ factor is that if you get rejected now, you can do something about it to make sure you don’t get the same in future. It’s better to learn your lessons now than later.
You see, for all the pieces to fall in place, you have to find the one thing that drives you. What were you born to do? Sing, dance, mentor, create… Without figuring this out, then the above question becomes a bit hard to navigate. We spend so much time running away from our true self, don’t you get tired? I mean, you’ll never win.
Life will never be fair. But it always rewards the diligent, the resilient, people who choose to dare. You’ll either come out with a great lesson or a great victory. A win-win right? I decree a challenge, take some time and find yourself, it’s a scary path but I promise amidst of you dealing with the imposter you, you’ll discover the beautiful gem hidden in you all these years. There you’ll find your true desires, your purpose. To make this a bit easy, start at the end. Envision the version of you that you’d want to be, then work backwards. What do you need to do to become that person, what do you need to quit, align yourself with your true self, then every day show up and do the work. There is no shortcut to becoming a high value person. The price has to be paid whether now or later, but paid it must. Surprisingly, the high value people used to get the most rejections. The path is lonely, painful but in the end, it’ll all be worth it.
Pursuing your purpose will give you the sense of direction that has been missing in your life. Along the way you’ll discover gifts in you that were deeply hidden by fear. Self-doubt will never cripple you. I can promise you that the moment you achieve your first milestone, nothing will surpass the joy and fulfilment you’ll experience. This journey will put all the right people along your path. If you’re a man, when it comes to women you’ll never have to chase after them. The right one will come to you, money will come to you. The last statement I never used to believe it could happen until I put in the work in my own journey. Nothing wrong can come out from betting on yourself.
Stop cock-blocking yourself. Adopt the right attitude, enforce discipline in your life. Unapologetically embark on your purpose, if you don’t know what it is dig deeper, ask for help. Believe in yourself that you have something of value to offer, then go hard on yourself.
Lastly, celebrate every milestone. Remember, experience the beauty of life. Be intentional with every move you make. Always keep your word, remain true and authentic to self. The best things in life will find you.
All the best as you embark on this journey!